Determination of Mevalonic Acid Lactone in Human Plasma by LC-MS/MS

IntroductionMevalonic acid lactone is a useful pharmacodynamic marker for evaluating the efficacy of cholesterolloweringdrugs that act by inhibiting 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl CoA reductase (statins such aslovastatin, pravastatin and simvastatin) [1]. The endogenous level of mevalonic acid lactone inhuman plasma is approximately 2 to 5 ng/mL. Since statins cause a reduction in mevalonic acidlactone concentration it is necessary to use water in place of plasma in the preparation of...